Going Somewhere
by ALilyPea
Summary: Veronica has had a lot to think about lately, and when she runs into Weevil one day in the hallway she finds she has a lot more to think about, like why she can't stop watching him no matter what he does.
1. Hallways

Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars, the show and the characters are the property of Rob Thomas. I will however not acknowledge the network that must not be named.

Veronica runs into Weevil in the hallway one day and realizes she hasn't seen him in weeks and never even noticed, possibly hasn't had a conversation with him since the incident with Madison Sinclair's car, not that she had been avoiding him necessarily. She has just been so busy, trying not to feel for Logan, trying not to care about the fact that he is dating Parker, someone who she is now trying not to hate. She is trying to feel happy that her dad is now the Sheriff of Neptune, even for a short time but finds that she can't, not since the ID incident, it is as though their relationship is strained somehow, broken now because he is what they used to fight against, someone like Lamb but not nearly as bad. It is as though somehow to her subconsciously he is less of an investigator now that he is Sheriff.

It reminds her a little too much of what happened when Lilly died, how he had immediately jumped on Jake Kane, losing his job, and effectively losing his job in the process. Like maybe now his skills won't be up to par because he'll be clouded by the shine of the badge or something. Resentment swells within her at times, seeing him in that uniform, it's just _wrong_. Its how their life _used to be_ not _how it is right now. _They were supposed to be a team always, but suddenly she can't team up with him, and it's like the Dad and Sacks show, not really, but she can't help but feel slightly jealous especially now that she is supposed to be going away for an internship. She wants her life to change, wants to have an epic of her own, not one just including Logan Echolls, filled with too much drama and not enough stability.

So she goes for the safe guy, trying to like him, even to love him perhaps, going through the motions, ignoring Wallace's warnings about how Piz is possibly _too nice_ to be involved in Veronica Mars' world, and perhaps he's right. Maybe she is some kind of man eater or something, a person destined to be alone, doomed by her own paranoia when it comes to trusting men. Which doesn't make sense anymore does it, because the only guy who ever did her wrong really was Beaver…Cassidy, it was a woman who broke her heart and twisted her into knots, two women, she had been dragged into Lilly Kane's world, a world filled with deceit and shallowness, and boys like Duncan Kane, Logan Echolls, Troy Vandergraff and Dick Casablancas, not exactly men you would ever want to spend your life with, and Lily herself, a girl who was her best friend, but at the same time had never bothered to tell the truth. Sometimes it felt like she hadn't really known Lily, after all she'd never been told about Aaron, or Weevil, or about how Lilly's dad had slept with her mom.

What was it Lilly had wanted to tell her about that night after the car wash? Was she going to tell Veronica about Aaron, the abusive father to her boyfriend who loved her more than anything? Or Eli "Weevil" Navarro, who could have fallen head over heels in love with Lilly? If only Lilly had bothered to care, bothered to reach past the 09er upbringing and see what was actually there. Would she have told Veronica the truth ever? It seemed Lilly Kane was capable of betrayal even in death, and Veronica couldn't help but wonder if it was something she would have grown past, or if she would have ended up shrewd and cynical like Celeste. Veronica doesn't think so, just because of how much Lily resented her mother, but truly was there anything stopping them from becoming their parents in the end? Logan was always filled with an anger that just screamed of years of abuse, and sometimes in his eyes a degree of darkness that didn't speak of murder, but of imminent self destruction, and Veronica desperately didn't know if she could stop herself from sinking with him should he fall beneath the waves.

Logan never truly betrayed her, not like she tried to say he had. If anything Logan had always been too honest with her, brutal at times. His hatred for her after Lilly's death and Keith's accusal of Jake Kane had been honest, he had resented her greatly, not only for what her father had done, but because she had been the one to break him and Lilly up. After all he needed more then one reason, people who also are visited by sins of the father live in glass houses and shouldn't throw stones. Despite his hatred, his burning resentment of her he had known that she was the best one to go to when he needed help, whether it be a poker game or the death of the only women who had genuinely been able to care for him without feeling some major dislike, his mother, and even she hadn't bothered to try and stop his father's actions, the scars along his skin engrained in herself.

Sometimes it still seemed like he resented her in a way, looking at her with darkened eyes swirling with so many emotions that she couldn't bother to figure them out, if Lilly and him hadn't broken up he could have married her, the marriage of one of the two most exclusive families in Neptune, never knowing that his father was having sex with his girlfriend behind his back. Maybe even best friend to the future President of the United States, if no one had found out about Duncan's illness; although with George Bush as President someone with epilepsy and the ability to fly into psychotic rages might be a step up, you just never know.

The other woman who had betrayed Veronica had been her mother, the person she resented possibly the most in the world, because whereas Logan had at times lied to her he had been blunt about other things, not like Lianne Mars, a woman who lied about her possible paternity for years all the while fleecing Veronica and her father along the way. She had left, hoping to protect her daughter then had come home before going to rehab and returning, lying to her family, plotting to steal from them at the best possible moment. If people ended up like their parents then Veronica would rather die then end up like her mother, she was definitely a Mars through and through. It had been no real surprise to her when she had looked through her family tree to find out that her mother was somehow related to Dick and Cassidy, it kind of made sense, kind of explained how her mother acted, but not really. So how had Veronica become a man eater anyway? Was it to do with her mother? Or had she actually spent a little too much time with people like Lilly, Madison and Shelly?

It was becoming more often that she would get together with Mac for lunch, listening to her talk and just be amazed, because here was someone who had been truly betrayed and lied to by her boyfriend. He had killed a busload of people, raped Veronica and had left her in a hotel with a bunch of people. Perhaps it could have all be prevented if his family had been a little bit kinder, less consumed in their own lives and taken the time to notice that he had been molested, the reason for him being so timid, so twisted and messed up was because someone had taken advantage of him. But here was Mac, a year or so later and she had healed, not all the way but healed somewhat, enough to trust Bronson and then after that Max, and the two of them were cute together. Although Veronica herself was finding it harder and harder to find resentment for Cassidy, someone who had been way more damaged then she could ever imagine being, like if she allowed herself to hate him for the rest of her life she might actually end up like him in some way and that was a thought that terrified Veronica more than almost anything. Only one thing scared her more, the thought of her bitterness and life experiences reflecting upon someone else and making them unhappy.

One day she takes Wallace's advice, shortly after getting the FBI internship and goes to see Piz, she tries to spare his feelings, to let him know that she does in fact in some way care about him, just not enough, not enough for someone as sweet and caring as him. He hasn't been tainted by Neptune, probably won't live there long enough to be tainted by it and she doesn't want to aid in that. She doesn't want him to get pulled into her life which has always been more dangerous than any teenage girl's life has any right to be, not when he's been given such good opportunities to leave Neptune. He looks at her and she feels her stomach drop, because she hadn't realized how much he felt for her, that he had in fact most likely fallen for her the moment he laid eyes on her standing at the door to his and Wallace's dorm room. He had waited and been supportive through Logan, at the time like she thought Wallace had, but it had been more, possibly less than that depending on how deep those feelings ran. He looked at her like a kicked puppy and she swallowed heavily surprised to find a lump in her throat and tried to convince herself that it was not tears stinging her eyes but the new contacts she had been required to get.

"I'm sorry," Her voice is hoarse and her chest is tighter then it has any right to be, because she is once again the one breaking up with him, just like she has the guys before him, she isn't in love with him and she knows it. It isn't right to drag this on any longer, to let him get even more hurt in the end when he has to leave for New York, or when she has to leave for Quantico in Virginia. "I just…I don't want you to get hurt."

His hair falls slightly into his face as he slips his arms from around her waist where they had been since she walked into the room, a small smile tugging at his lips very briefly before falling away and he nods sharply. "It's funny, because from where I stand Veronica, there's no way that you can stop this from hurting," His voice is hoarse too and the corner's of his lips drag down, his eyes concealed partially by a veil, something she is kind of glad of because she doesn't want to have to see his pain, doesn't want to have to stomach it, not right now. "Do you mind if I ask why? Was I not epic enough for you Veronica?" He breathes out, as though the words almost didn't make their way out of his chest, and then there's bitterness and he keeps saying her name like some people did in high school, like Logan did shortly after Lilly's death and it feels like someone is sitting on her chest, compressing her lungs and not caring for someone enough shouldn't hurt this much.

Veronica breathes in sharply and her eyes close for a moment, Logan's face flashing in front of her eyes as she jerks her head from side to side in denial, it isn't that, it was never that he wasn't Logan whether he believed that or not, it was about him being something sweeter. The sweeter side of life she could have if she just bothered to risk it, something safer then she'd been involved in in the past, but she couldn't use him like that anymore. "N-no," She hates that her voice comes out in a stutter and then cracks, a single tear slipping down her cheek, cracking the mask she held so dear for protection. "I don't want you to get dragged into my world Piz; you're too good for it." She murmurs before turning and leaving the room, rushing past Wallace who looks at her intently for a split second before she skirts around him and heads down the hallway. She can hear him asking Piz if he's okay, if he's done anything to Veronica and can't help the smile that crosses her lips. He will always be her bff.

Halfway down the hall she turns a corner and hits something solid, looking up she realizes its Weevil again, he looks down at her with his too dark eyes framed by even darker lashes and something passes through them, like he knows exactly what she's been thinking about since their last encounter a week before. He reaches out an arm and grips her elbow lightly just to steady her and a brief smile ghosts across his face, almost as though it had never been there in the first place. "Where are you going V? Is there a fire I should know about or is the Sheriff after you again?" He smirks now, and it's a look she hadn't thought she would see again after he had gone to prison, its pure Weevil with none of Eli left behind.

"I'm going somewhere, and fast I just haven't figured that one out yet. And don't you know, I have the sheriff wrapped about my little trigger finger," Veronica responded, smiling back at him, trying to disarm him in some way because suddenly seeing Weevil is disconcerting especially after high school when there isn't many 09ers around to keep either of them on their guard, especially in the dorm rooms, rich mommies and daddies not wanting their babies to live in such squalor. She shakes that thought out of her head, and tilts her head to the side, her smile widening as she catches the narrowing of his eyes in her direction. "I don't suppose you want to have lunch with me?" She asks, exaggerating the tilt slightly.

Looking bemused Weevil allows his own head to tilt almost mockingly, his smirking lips drawn quickly into a flash of a genuine smile, always fleeting and something Veronica thinks that she would like to see more of. "I just got off, so yeah I'll have lunch with you." He walked alongside her now, hands shoved in the pockets of his just tight enough jeans. "It's been awhile since we did this; new Dean has been running me ragged, though I did get a raise for helping discover who had killed Dean O'Dell." He looked at the ground as he walked Veronica noted, something she didn't think he had done in high school, or maybe he had. He had definitely changed around the time the PCH decided they didn't want anything to do with him. It was something too timid she thought, it just didn't fit with her image of Weevil Navarro, this was too close to Eli for her, too close to the seventeen year old boy who had tried to protect his abuelita from being arrested, who had hugged her. Sometimes she missed Weevil, the way he challenged her, the way he had rose to the occasion every time she wanted something from him, refusing to do a favour without a promise of one in return. "Where you at V?" He asked, leaning over to peer into her face.

Pulling herself from her thoughts Veronica realized that she had been completely ignoring whatever it was he had been saying, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something," She leaded him out of the school pulling out her car keys, "Do you mind if we get away from the school for lunch?" She asks him, turning her head to study him intently once again, briefly wondering how long it's been since she was able to look at someone without analyzing their every action, if it was something she did before Lily died or not but that seems too long ago now.

"When have I ever minded leaving a school for food?" Weevil pointed out pulling his hands from his pocket, "I'm going to assume you're driving us then," He walked around the SUV and opened the door when she unlocked it, sliding in easily and Veronica fought to remember if she had ever given Weevil a ride anywhere and why it seemed wrong to see this _man_ in the passenger seat, it seemed to not even fuel the independent female fire she always seemed to have going for her, something that was purely unintentional.

Veronica pulled herself up into her vehicle and turned to Weevil, a small smile playing on her lips, widening when she saw that he seemed to be even more suspicious of her then normal when she smiled at him without an agenda. "You sure you're masculine enough for me to drive vato," She couldn't help but tease him, at times it was just to easy and he gave as good as he got, it was one of the only consistent things in her life at the moment when everything seemed to be changing.

Weevil smirked wickedly, "Well I did just get a new bike V, do you still want to take a ride on my big ol' hog? I'll make it worth your while." And there was the Weevil she knew, perverted and altogether not such a nice person, but one of the best friends to have at your back when times got a little rough. "Just kidding V, I don't care whose driving as long as I get the opportunity to enjoy the ride." He grinned and turned to look out the window as they began moving, muscles tightening imperceptibly as he hears the sound of roaring engines once they reach the main road, the PCH aren't dead, not by any means.

"Do you ever miss it?" His real name, instead of Weevil almost slips out and she bites her bottom lip as though she'll be able to stop it despite the fact that he has been Eli in her mind for quite a while now, perhaps since the day she heard him in the guidance office talking about how he had loved Lilly, because everyone had loved Lily and it was good to know that Weevil wasn't protected from that because when it came down to it, when it came to girls he couldn't help but be Eli. "You don't need to answer that," She amended quickly, because sometimes her curiosity got the best of her and annoyed people, that she knew.

Turning to look at her Weevil squinted slightly, as though he was trying to figure her out as much as she was trying to do him. "You already know the answer to that V, you've never been one to ask stupid questions," His voice isn't angry, or even hard it's just matter of fact, like she's the one person who knows him best and maybe she is, it's a sobering thought to her.

"Money in your pocket and the thrill, right I forgot," Veronica responded, remembering when she had taken him into her Criminology 101 class, nodding to herself she remembered the events that followed. "Hey look Weevil, I never really…" She stopped when he cut her off abruptly, holding up a hand to her, interrupting her.

"You don't need to apologize, you came through in the end and that's all that matters, I'm still a free man and you even got me a job here in the first place, I can't be mad at you for something that's in your nature," Weevil told her, seeming surprisingly in depth with his observations of her. "I'm not Echolls V; I'm not going to jump all over you for every mistake you make."

Veronica nodded feeling shocky suddenly, like she just didn't know what to do, he really had never jumped all over her about anything other than dating Logan and that seemed to be more out of concern for her well being than anything else. "I'm still sorry, I'm really trying not to do that anymore but it's hard, as you pointed out it is in my nature to be naturally suspicious kind of like…"

Weevil smiled as though he was happy she had finally realized something, "Like me, that's what I meant when I said you were never an 09er Veronica," He used her name as though he was taste testing something, just trying to see how it felt to do so. "People like us, we're actually worth more than them, and worth more then how they treat us, we're just victims of circumstance or something like that." He turned back to his window as they pulled into the parking lot of the Planet Neptune Diner. "Haven't been here for years," He remarked.

"I figured as much, now get out of my car," Veronica shoved him lightly before hopping out of the vehicle, her head spinning somewhat with all the information she had been given in such a short time, unable to process it all. Weevil was more then she had ever credited him for being and now she was beginning to feel slightly bad for that, she had never been one to take a people at face value for what they presented themselves as but for some reason she had slipped into that with him. It just wasn't right, and she couldn't figure out how to stop doing it.

Walking around the car Weevil shoved his hands in his pockets, watching her for a few moments before he tried to call her back to earth. "We going to eat V, or are you trying to get back to your home planet or something?" He nudged her with his shoulder, and tilted his head to the side mocking her, falling back on old habits before he could stop himself.

"Oh very funny Weevil, just for that you can pay," Veronica brushed past him, trying to convince herself that she wasn't flirting, Weevil was too good a friend to end up mixed up with her in that way despite how much Mac insisted that he liked her as more then just a friend. She ignored the flash of electricity that seemed to shoot through her when her arm brushed his, his skin warm to the touch, almost hot.

Weevil watched her walk away from him for a minute before he followed behind her, jogging briefly to catch up. "Considering I just got a raise then just this once I will pay, but the next time we go out you are picking up the tab, and that will preferably be in an alcohol store or a bar where I can get myself a nice cold beer." He nudged her to the side before opening the door for her, gesturing for her to go in.

Veronica curtsied to him mockingly and shook her head, amused by his behaviour, she hadn't ever seen Weevil in a romantic situation so it was hard to judge whether or not he could actually be a gentleman or if he was just mocking her in some way or another. "What kind of beer are we talking here? Because I just got in trouble with the Sheriff for distributing fake ideas to people underage." She waved a finger at him.

Nodding Weevil seemed to consider her words, "Maybe not beer then, something that's a little easier to get. Does Fennel still work at the Sack 'n' Pack?" He asked, following her to a booth and sliding in on the opposite side, his eyes never leaving her face as she spoke in return, he was always studying her as intently as she did him.

"Yeah he does, but it's not like he'll give me a bottle of Bacardi or something if I ask him to." Veronica flipped open the menu looking it over, feeling his gaze prickling her skin she tried not to shiver or be bothered by him staring at her so blatantly, Mac just couldn't be right, not about this, she barely knew Weevil, but then again, did Veronica really know him or was it just something she thought she knew. Like Lily had been,

Weevil looked across the table at her, "In that case how about you just buy me a pizza and some wings one day, I hadn't realized you had lost your nerve so much," He was trying to bait her, his eyes filled with some secret, as though he somehow needed her to rise to the bait and take it, to argue with him. "Maybe it is true what they say about Veronica Mars, she is a marshmallow, and she only got softer when she kept going after 09er trash." He bit the words out now as though he was angry at her and she couldn't even begin to figure out why.

"Look Weevil, normally I would appreciate this whole verbal sparring thing but right now I just don't have the time or the patience for it, so if that's the only reason you came to lunch with me, was to attack me then I don't want to hear it anymore," Veronica rubbed her forehead suddenly feeling exhausted, emotionally and physically. She had been thinking far too much about everything and everyone around her to sleep properly and it was beginning to take its toll.

A flash of something that might have been concern crossed Weevil's face and he leaned across the table to try to get a good look into her eyes, his bottom lip sucked under his top teeth as he studied her intently, taking in the dark circles under her eyes. "You okay V? I can drive you home if you need to lie down or something?" All the harshness was gone from his voice and all of a sudden he was the same Weevil who had picked her up from Logan's what felt like years ago after she had discovered the cameras in the pool house, he seemed genuinely concern for her well being, always had.

Veronica waved off his concern, sipping from the water glass suddenly placed in front of her, "I'm fine, I'm just a little tired lately, I haven't been sleeping well that's all," She explained, turning to look at the waitress. "I'll have a club sandwich with fries, gravy on the side and a large Coke please," She requested politely, leaning back in her side of the booth she watched as the former PCHer ordered a burger, fries and a Coke as well, wondering why she suddenly couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him no matter what it was he was doing, it must just be one of those days.

"Too many cases or something?" Weevil asked, swirling the straw through the glass of water in front of him before he realized she was watching him and stopped, putting his hands on the table he fought to get comfortable on the vinyl covered seats. "Sheriff told me that you passed your PI test when I ran into him the other day, asked me if I wouldn't mind helping you out once in awhile. So if you need me it's the same as before V, all you've gotta do is give me a call. I mean your dad suddenly being Sheriff again must be kinda hard to get used to."

"You don't have to help me out, I wouldn't mind it but I don't want you to think you have to," Veronica protested but found it was rather weak, she liked having Weevil around, liked it when he had her back and probably wouldn't mind having him around more, especially on cases, especially with the Fitzpatrick's appearing so frequently around town lately. "If you want to."

Weevil nodded solidly, lifting his coke bottle to his lips he took a drink, "I want to, I had a good time doing it before, I've been working on my anger management so I don't think I'll be tackling any abusive dads anytime soon, plus I got put on a warning when I lost two jobs in a row so quickly." He tossed the straw on a napkin; almost scoffing at it he rubbed his hands together when his food was put in front of him.

"Considering the Fitzpatrick's have been snooping around a lot lately I wouldn't mind you having a little less management on your anger," It was the first time that Veronica admitted to anyone that she might be a little freaked out by what had been going on and how much she had seen Liam in the past few weeks, it just seemed weird since he hadn't been seen for months at a time and was no suddenly coming out of the woodwork and popping up everywhere she went, and now with her dad working later and later at night trying to secure his place in the race and uncover the mystery surrounding the home invasions that had been occurring she felt even more jumpy whenever Backup even made a noise.

Looking serious Weevil put down his drink, his attention back on her in a snap, "Which of the Fitzpatrick's? I heard Liam is back in town, if you're having any problem with him V I want you to call me right away, I don't care if it's the middle of the damn night okay you are going to give me a call." His voice was firm and Veronica found herself unable to argue with him, instead picking up her sandwich and taking a bite. He took that as a good sign and picked up his own burger, getting ready to eat it. "Now let's eat and get you home to bed, you look like you're going to drop any minute and I wanna take a look around your place. I know how Liam works and I don't want you to get hurt because of him." _Not like Felix _the unspoken words hung between them as they both focused on their lunches.

Next on Veronica Mars: Weevil takes Veronica home and we finally get to see inside his head, what he thinks of our favourite sleuth, the PCH and Lilly. They have an in depth talk about how she feels about Logan, Piz and even Lilly. Veronica finds herself in trouble and calls the only person she knows will come to help.


	2. Homeward Bound

Previously on Veronica Mars: Veronica broke up with Piz and thought about everything that had gone wrong in her life before running into Weevil in the hallway. Weevil, seeing Veronica needed some company hung out with her for lunch then drove her home.

Weevil often wonders if there was ever a time he didn't go running when some little blond came running and tilted her head in his direction, after awhile he just gives up on trying to decide that because before Veronica he had Lilly to tilt her head in his direction and he drooled like some dog ready to mate, like Backup or something. He often finds himself with lots of time to stop and think of Lilly Kane lately, when he's lying in his cheap little apartment at night, surrounded by cats…no that's the lady next door. But he does lie there and just think, with nothing but Jay Leno playing late on the television, he hates his job, surrounded by kids his own age who are far too naïve, far too pretty and remind him far too much of the 09ers in high school despite the fact that half of them are almost as poor as he is due to the fees they have to pay for school. At least they have dorms to stay in at night instead of a little apartment that seems like it's going to fall over the next time there is a strong gust of wind. He could practically hear Lilly laughing at him some of the time, whispering in his ear, her voice mocking just like it used to be, telling him he was even worse off now then before her, she at least would have paid him for what he did for her.

It made him sick to even think about her this way because somehow, in his own naïve way at the moment he had loved Lilly, loved how much life had filled her, made him feel like he could be in her world, a world where everyone just _lived _and had fun without thinking of the consequences. Sometimes when he closed his eyes he could see her body, lifeless and so completely wrong next to the Kane's pool, a pool where she had made him skinny dip and done decidedly unconventional things with him underwater other then swimming and there she had been, across computer screens all over the school, murdered by someone who didn't even deserve to lick the bottom of her expensive shoes. Aaron Echolls, to look at him Weevil almost understood why Logan was so fucked up, why he had no idea of how to treat a girl, especially a girl as special as V. Logan hadn't even really known how to handle Lilly and Weevil tried not to think about that too much, that maybe if Aaron hadn't fucked up his son so much, then Logan and Lilly would have stopped playing their little games. The what ifs that swam through his head were endless at times it seemed, because maybe if they hadn't played those games and Weevil had never slept with Lilly, hadn't helped her cheat, she wouldn't have gone to Aaron and would have stayed with Logan and never would have died. Despite himself he knows that this cannot be true, that although he can be blamed for a lot that went wrong in Neptune he didn't have anything to do with how Lilly died, she had done whatever she wanted to do.

He remembered the first time he had seen her, he hadn't actually thought she was anything special, she was a tiny little thing at the age of thirteen and he was more distracted by the girl who had been with her. Veronica Mars, her knees scraped from playing soccer, kicking the ball around the yard, he had caught it when she kicked it out of bounds and gave it back to her, his curly hair falling into his eyes. She had thanked him, those pretty eyes sparkling and her cheeks flushing as she took it from him. He'd opened his mouth to reply when Chardo walked over, quickly rushing him away from the white girl and back to the rest of the junior PCH, within a week he was no longer junior anymore; His head was shaved and he was brought in, just in time for freshman year, just in time for him to be bred into a leader. But he could never forget looking back and seeing Lilly teasing Veronica, the younger girl's cheeks a flaming red and he wanted to run over and protect her because he knew girls like Lilly in his neighbourhood, they wouldn't let up ever. In the end though Lilly had come after him, wanting an out from her relationship with Logan apparently, even though she never really ended up telling Echolls about them, wanting to keep it her little secret. Her dirty little secret. It wasn't until she died that he got to actually say a word to Veronica Mars again, and when he had he'd been surprised, she had fire behind her eyes and a passion that he had never expected. It had intrigued him day one, when he had offered her a ride on his hog.

Sometimes when Eli was alone he would close his eyes and imagine what it would feel like to be good enough for girls like Lilly, girls like Veronica Mars. They were the type of girl who had a degree of class, girls who would end up going some place in the world without what they had done in the past coming back to haunt them like it could him. Lilly could've gotten away from Neptune eventually, he imagined she would have been an actress or something just as good, possibly a model as she had been good looking enough for either job and she certainly did have a flair for the dramatic. He thinks on the odd occasion that she would have loved the circus that surrounded her death, how everyone got involved and everyone was a suspect except the man who had actually killed her, till the very end when shy little Veronica had solved the case. On the other hand he figures that Lilly would have given Duncan and Echolls shit for the way they had treated her, allowed her to be walked all over by everyone who had once claimed to be her friend. It all came down to the facts, Lilly may not have loved him, and she may not have loved Logan but she had loved and treasured Veronica, wanting to change her into something greater and in a way Lilly had changed her into something greater, just maybe not the way she had planned to. And of course when he thought of Lilly his thoughts automatically turned to Veronica, he found himself thinking of her when he was working more often then not, remembering that day so that seemed like a million years ago when she pulled out her first "Get out of Jail free" card for him, one of many and he'd been so happy that she'd cared, that she had his back that he couldn't resist giving her a little love. She'd smelt of shampoo, and peaches, something that seemed to match her complexion, not that he would ever mention that to anyone.

Weevil tried not to fall for her like he had for Lilly, knowing he couldn't stand to be used again like he had in the past, it was just too hard for him to handle again. He knew Veronica would never deliberately try and hurt one of his friends yet it seemed to happen every so often, like she got so involved in the cases and studying the people around her that she forgot that sometimes people did trust others enough to simply answer questions. Everything was a puzzle to be worked out for Veronica Mars, and he had to admit that he now found it more endearing then annoying. In spite of himself, and his mind's need to keep his heart in tact his heart just wasn't listening to him and even though he knew it would get him in trouble one day, most likely with the law he was unable to stop himself from jumping when she asked him to. He tried, he really did but even when she called him to cube of all people, Madison Sinclair's care he could hear the anger in her voice and practically picture that infuriating head tilt and couldn't stop himself from caving. It wasn't until a little while later when he ran into her in the hallway and saw how tired she looked that he felt guilty for having avoided their bi-weekly lunches in an effort to forget his feelings for her. He couldn't resist saying yes to her and next thing he knew he was also going to her house to take care of her because she just looked plain sick and tired of everything going on, he definitely couldn't say no to her and right now didn't want to because he realized she considered him to uncomplicated, showed how little she actually knew about him, how much he hid from her, yet couldn't hide from him.

Weevil led the way out to the car this time, holding the door open from her he slipped an arm around her waist when she seemed to stumble, falling against his side. He ignored the thrill that went up his spine and tightened his arm around her shoulders in comfort, "Give me the keys V," He instructed, peering down into her face he squinted trying to see if she was really sick, if she felt hot to the touch without her actually realizing what she was doing. "I'll drive, prefer to get home in one piece and the Sheriff would kill me if you didn't." He teased lightly, knowing she didn't really take well to being ordered around.

Veronica didn't say anything, just leaned into him, a testament to how exhausted she was. She fished in her pocket for a moment, a look of confusion on his face that was so cute that the need to kiss her, not even on the lips was almost unbearable for him. Eventually she found them in her bag and pressed the unlock button before giving them to him and climbing into the passenger seat of the SUV.

Fingering the keys for a moment Weevil took a deep breath before climbing into the SUV as well; sliding the key into the ignition he smiled at her briefly, having never seen her like this. She looked like she was ready to bury herself in the covers of her bed and never come out, he'd heard Fennel joke around that Veronica Mars was nothing but a marshmallow but hadn't believe it until now. "Anywhere we need to stop on the way to your place V?" He asked, pulling out of the parking lot carefully, being in cars, especially one as big as this still made him kind of nervous although he had to admit this vehicle handled better then most but was nothing compared to the freedom given to him by a motorcycle. "Maybe get you some medicine, sleeping pills?" He suggested, concern nagging at him.

Looking at him Veronica's eyes slid closed for a moment before she managed to fight to get them to open again and she offered him a soft, lazy smile that made something twisted up inside the pit of his stomach unfurl as she shook her head and did up her seatbelt. "No, I'll be okay Weevil; I've just had a hard time of it lately. Between the rapes at Hearts, Dean O'Dell's death, Tim Foyle, Logan, Parker and Piz I've been pretty much ready to put my head through a window for a few weeks now, I just want things to get back to normal." She explained.

"Veronica, I hate to tell you this, but for you that is kind of normal," Weevil pressed his foot down a bit harder on the gas, trying to figure out if she would find it weird if he were to just dump her on the door step and high tail it out of there as fast as possible, needing to get away from her. However knowing Veronica it was most likely she would call her dad and report the vehicle as stolen, and Weevil didn't particularly want to deal with that at the moment. It looked like his luck for the day was Veronica or nothing, and Veronica was decidedly better company, maybe he could manage to stop thinking about her for five seconds at a time if he was actually with her…And that didn't make much sense to him either. He shook his head to clear it and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead, his fingers tightening around the steering wheel.

Smiling at him Veronica nodded, sighing softly she turned to the window, still not talking much which got him even more concerned. "Or is it that you want things to go back to being normal between you and your dad?" He asked her intuitively, knowing that she must feel a little bit awkward having her dad suddenly back as Sheriff again. "Must admit, never liked Lamb much, but he didn't deserve to die the way he did."

"You're right you know," Veronica turned back towards him, catching his eyes with her own when they stopped at a red light, he found himself unable to look away but still listened intently. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, I mean, I love my dad but this feels wrong, him being Sheriff now that Lilly's gone, now that Lamb is gone, and I can't shake the feeling that this isn't how it's meant to be. I think that my dad was meant to be a PI, just like me, I mean why else would he have been able to score a 97 percent on the test, it just doesn't make sense to me and to be honest it's driving me a little bit crazy."

Weevil nodded, turning the corner he lessened his grip on the wheel, calmer now that they actually had something to talk about and he had less time to think about how much he wanted to touch the girl in the seat next to him. "I can tell, you're finally somewhere where you are absolutely content with your life in certain aspects, especially that of being a PI and now your dad is Sheriff again and it's like an attempt to drag your life back to what it was before Lilly's death," He spouted out, unable to stop himself from doing so. Normally he preferred not to get into serious conversations with anyone, he hadn't since Felix had died, an event that had almost crushed him even more then the betrayal of the PCH, yet Weevil always found himself getting into conversations with Veronica Mars that had something more behind them then pointless 'how are you's.

"Exactly, I never realized you were so smart," Veronica snapped her fingers together then it seemed to sink in that she had actually just said that out loud and a look of mortification passed over her face and she reached out, resting her hand against his forearm. "Weevil I didn't mean that, I mean I never thought you were stupid, I just meant…" She trailed off, appearing to be at a loss for words and he couldn't help the smile that lit up his face when he saw it.

"You're just not used to me having the answers to what you're thinking unless it has something to do with being the "local crime element" I believe the Sheriff likes to call it," Weevil almost flinched away from her touch at first, but settled back into the seat, not wanting her to notice something was up because knowing her she would then start digging for clues and not let up until she had all the answers to what was going on with him.

Veronica squeezed his arm lightly and then moved her hand back into her lap, "I'm still sorry. You may have made foolish decisions in the past but whenever I thought of you as stupid I was wrong, although admittedly that was usually following you pissing me off in one way or another," There was a rather sardonic smile on her face that warmed his insides. When on earth had Eli "Weevil" Navarro become such a softy when it came to little blond girls. "Why do you keep shaking your head like that?"

Huh? Weevil's cheeks flushed and he turned away, quickly moving the car around into the parking lot of her apartment complex he realized he had been shaking his head when talking to himself. Great, good job in not letting Veronica know there is anything wrong at all. "I've been thinking a lot, arguing with myself I guess you could say."

"What about?" Weevil might've known that Veronica wouldn't be able to resist asking that question, her head tilted to the side and her eyes wide as she studied him, trying to figure out what it was he could possibly be arguing with himself about. "What motorcycle you're going to buy next?" She teases lightly because it seems like suddenly she knows the answer and doesn't want to know it any longer, that panicked look she got sometimes when she looked into Echolls' eyes.

Weevil unbuckles his seat belt and smiled grimly, "Nothing you need to worry about for now V, and I don't think I'll be buying a bike anytime soon but it is possible," He slides out of the vehicle and waits for her, wrapping an arm carefully around her waist when she stumbled into him, clearly even more tired then she appeared to be. "You alright there girl?" He asked, worry making his forehead crease.

Veronica nodded but wrapped her arm around his waist as well, effectively trapping his arm around her, leaning into him as he basically held her up as they walked to the apartment. "I'm okay, just don't feel so good," She murmured softly, "Been so stressed lately." She explained further even as her eyes drooped and her movements became more sluggish.

Nodding Weevil found the key to the apartment door and unlocked it, helping her into the small home her and the Sheriff lived in, "How late is your dad working tonight?" He questioned, licking his lips quickly and swallowing, his whole mouth feeling dry as he helped her towards her bedroom, remembering where it was from one night when he had helped her home after she'd twisted an ankle on a case, but her dad had been in the house then, a large barrier between them, well him and his gun.

Pushing open the door to her room Veronica stumbled towards the bed, sitting down on it she almost fell when the waterbed swayed underneath her, pulling off her little sweater and her shoes, then her pants, wearing a little pair of boy short panties underneath before she crawled under the sheets, "He said he wouldn't be back until tomorrow." She mumbled, already drifting off to sleep now, her eyelids sliding closed. "Why is that so important?"

Weevil was concerned, he rubbed his hand lightly across her forehead surprised at how heated her skin felt at the moment. "Because I think you might be coming down with something V, and it's never good to be alone when you're sick. So you stay here and sleep, I'll go by my place and grab a bag and pick you up some medicine or something, maybe some of that vapour rub shit," He pulled the blankets up over her, and pushed some hair out of her face. "Do you mind if I take your vehicle to do that?" He looked at her sheepishly, embarrassed that he still had to take the public bus to get everywhere when only a year ago he'd had a powerful machine between his legs and a group of boys willing to die for him, or so he thought.

"No problem, just make sure you set the alarm and lock the door on your way out," Veronica burrowed down into the sheets sleepily, already drifting into sleep by the time he had reached the door of her bedroom, he realized he didn't know how to set the alarm when he got there then remembered something from the last time he had been here. He keyed in the date of Lily's death and was satisfied when it beeped into action; it seemed no matter what happened in his life and where he went that everything came back to that day.

Shaking his head Weevil locked the door behind him and made his way to the vehicle, thoughts consuming him as he steered out of the lot on his way to his own apartment, he wished he could even afford a place like Veronica lived in but knew that was unlikely to happen anytime soon. He thought idly of times when he had talked to Felix about the two of them starting out on their own in an apartment where they could bring girls back, not having to worry about family constantly marching through the house and interrupting whatever could be going on in their bedrooms. He could remember Felix's funeral like it was yesterday, seeing his best friend's mother sobbing her heart out like it would never be the same again, because she had lost the only son she had left, for the same reasons she had lost her eldest. Weevil had tried to go to her, to apologize to her but she had just shaken her head at him, a look of helplessness in her eyes, of disappointment because he had always promised to look after Felix, promised to keep him safe. But now, things were different, Weevil was harder, especially after his time in prison, he knew now where naïveté could get a person, dead just like Felix and to a certain degree the personality of Weevil, leader of the PCH.

Pushing open the door to Veronica's apartment a little while later Weevil juggled the bags in his hands, managing to punch in the alarm code before it could go off and wake up Veronica, he didn't even know why he was doing this for sure. He hadn't ever taken care of anyone other then family when they were sick and it took a lot for him to admit that he might see the little blond sleuth in the same respect as he did a family member. Sighing he made his way through the apartment, putting popsicles in the freezer and some vapour rub in the fridge. He pulled out a cup of soup, pouring it into a bowl he popped it into the microwave without even thinking, going through the actions automatically.

"Looks whose in my kitchen being a little house wife," Veronica smiled at him from the doorway of her room, still looking haggard and worn out but Weevil could see the sparkle in her eyes that suggested that she wouldn't be down for long, he should have known better then to think she would let something like a cold or the flu knock her down. She just wasn't the type of person to do that and he should've known. "If I'd known you were like this I would have invited you over every time I got even a little sick, my dad's not so good at taking care of people," She sat down in one of the chairs at the island, leaning on the counter.

Weevil leaned on the counter across from her, reaching across to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear before he could even stop himself from doing it, "I usually take care of Ophelia when she's sick, don't like to see anyone I care about sick," He explained, pulling the bowl of soup out of the microwave he set it down in front of her, managing to find a spoon. "So anytime you need me to pick up anything for you when you're sick just gimme a call and make sure you do that damned head tilt thing when I arrive," He smiled briefly.

Veronica tilted her head to the side and smiled slightly, "In that case do you think you can get me a slice of bread with butter on it?" She flipped her hair and laughed softly, before digging into her soup. He couldn't help but grin back at her; she was certainly a girl that could keep him on his toes, that's for sure. "Good thing the office is closed today," She remarked.

Walking to the fridge Weevil quickly did what she asked, moving rather effectively around the kitchen now that he had an idea where things were and put the bread in front of her, "Yeah, it certainly is, because no offence V, you look like shit. It seems like you haven't slept in weeks or something," He sat down in the stool, worry still nagging at his insides.

"I haven't really," Veronica's voice was soft and she slowly lowered the spoon back into the dish, her eyes lowered to the countertop as she made little designs with her finger tip. "It's been a really bad year," She murmured in a tone of voice that was so lost he felt like holding her in his arms for hours on end, just trying to comfort her in any way he knew how.

Weevil took the bowl away from her and walked into the living room, setting it on the coffee table he waited for her to join him, sitting on the couch beside her he curled one arm around her shoulders gently, offering her comfort. "You wanna tell me about it V, because to me it seems like the last three years have been pretty shit for you without you having a moment to relax." He informed her, ignoring how good she felt against his body as she seemed to instinctively curl into his chest.

"I never realized how good of a friend you were until now," Veronica's voice was soft as though she was contemplating something, her fingers twisting the fabric of his t-shirt lightly. "I just want to apologize for being kind of bitchy to you in the past; it's just kind of the way I deal with things. Although I have to say you weren't too nice to me in the beginning of our little mutual partnership favour giving thing anyway," She looked at him, her eyes filled with amusement.

Nodding Weevil squeezed her somewhat, marvelling at how petite she actually was, her personality had been larger then life most of the time so he tended to forget her physical limitations a good portion of the time. "I couldn't, I mean, my boys wouldn't have exactly liked me pandering to a little white girl who used to be an 09er, Felix didn't even really understand it the first time around, but at least he stuck up for me when it all came to light." He licked his lips, his throat feeling dry, "If I could change that I would V, but there's nothing I can do about it and I won't apologize for it either and I don't think that you should apologize for the way you acted around me either, it's one of the reasons our relationship has been so interesting." He rubbed her shoulder gently. "And don't think I didn't notice that you avoided my offer to listen either."

"Damn," Veronica snapped her fingers together and sighed, "I still miss Lilly sometimes you know?" She rested her head on his shoulder; shifting around on the couch she watched the steam rise from the bowl of soup, no longer feeling hungry. "Especially when things are really bad, because even when they were bad before, when my mum was drinking she could always find something good for me to see, something better for my life to turn out to be." She sighed softly, a bone heavy sigh, one reflecting everything wrong within her. "She could always make me laugh and smile, even when things were at their worst. I think would have been pissed by how much I let the investigation into her death consume me."

Weevil twirled a piece of her hair around his finger idly, nodding. "I miss her too, mostly for the same reasons, and at other times I resent her because of how much she was able to tear me up inside, like maybe if I had never been with her their never would have been a weakening in the PCH and I would still have my old life or somethin', I try not to think about her so much anymore," That was a lie, he thought about her regularly but didn't particularly want Veronica to know that.

Veronica nodded, "I don't think I've been the same since she died, I think in someway it broke something inside of me and since then I've been fighting to get it back, I know how stupid that sounds and that's why I don't like talking about it." She shrugged her shoulders, almost slumping against him after her admission. "If Lilly had been there then I never would have gotten raped by Cassidy." Her voice was barely above a whisper, "And maybe I would've ended up going to Stanford after all, is it wrong of me to resent her for dying? Because maybe if she hadn't gotten involved with Aaron in the first place she would have never died, and none of the shit that's happened in my life would've happened and I might actually be happy right now instead of feeling like I'm drowning all the time." He didn't know what to say at first because now it seemed like a dam had broken open and she couldn't stop; he didn't want her to if she needed to talk.

"I would have killed him had I known V, as it is I found out about that whole thing way too late, after I had been put in my cell. Lamb seemed almost happy to tell me about it," Weevil's right hand clenched into a fist, suddenly with the urge to beat the man for everything he had ever done to possibly hurt Veronica. "You have the same resentment towards Lilly that I do, and it's okay because it's what happens whenever anyone dies." He fought down his anger, realizing Veronica didn't need to deal with that right now.

Veronica smiled softly, "You're such a good friend, I'd like to think you'd check up on me first before attempting to kill anyone for me though, not like Logan when he gets into psychotic jackass mode." She sighed at the mention of her ex-boyfriend even though it was partially her fault their relationship was so bad at the moment.

Weevil nods, gritting his teeth because he's always hated her and Logan together, Echolls with his stupid puppy dog eyes and attitude, seeming so fucking _broken_ that at times even Weevil himself wants to put the other man back together. "I don't particularly want to talk about Echolls." Every time he thought about the way Echolls had paraded around with Veronica on his arm as though she was some sort of prize to be won, or even worse bought. "What happened with that other guy? Piz or something?"

"I broke up with him, he was just too…nice," Veronica muttered, almost grudgingly like Piz was the last thing she wanted to be talking about right now. "It was like he didn't really belong here, in Neptune, or with me at all." She moved closer to him, now practically in his lap, something that made him squirm the slightest bit before he was able to settle down again.

Understanding Weevil nodded his head; guys like Piz could get eaten alive in Neptune if they weren't careful. They were a dime a dozen in Neptune, not only guys but people who had been touched by nothing, none of the corruption or indecency that took place in the city limits. "You broke up with him to protect him then?" He peered into her face, wanting honesty from her.

"Not just that, I didn't…I didn't feel the same for him as I have for other guys I've dated. It's like I went out with him because I knew there was little chance he would hurt or betray me in any way, and then I realized that and just how wrong that is. It would be like using Wallace or something, well even worse then I've used him in the past and I just couldn't do it anymore," Veronica sighed, obviously tired now she rested her head on his shoulder, one arm curling around his waist gently. "I know you don't want to hear about it but with Duncan it was kind of like that too, dating him was trying to get back to the way things had been before when I felt safe, and then Logan was like a burning love, one that could eat me up inside."

Weevil nodded again, finding himself doing that a lot he smiled almost sheepishly and pushed a piece of hair out of her face, "Your soup is probably cold by now, do you want me to warm it up for you?" He questioned, rising from his position at her nod he went into the kitchen carefully carrying the bowl so as to not spill any of the soup he put it in the microwave and leaned against the counter. He took a deep calming breath trying to calm his body's response to having Veronica so close to him for quite a bit, it was almost overwhelming how intoxicating her presence was to him at times. He sighed running a hand over his head he moved quickly when the microwave beeped, heading back into the living room. Putting the soup down he smiled slightly at seeing Veronica sprawled out on the couch asleep he gently covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead, "Dulce del sueño V," He murmured softly before moving to sit in the seat diagonal from the couch and turned on the television turning it down low so as to not wake her. "I'll still be here when you wake up."

Next on Veronica Mars: Veronica finds herself in trouble and calls the only person she knows will come to help; Weevil gives her hell for it afterwards effectively pissing her off. Mac talks to Veronica, trying to push her into the truth after she has a run in with Logan.


	3. Danger

Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long, I really didn't mean to take this long but as with everything life got in the way. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted and added me to their favorites'. I appreciate it I really do. I promise chapter four won't take so long.

Veronica sat outside her favourite old haunt, the Camelot Hotel with her camera dangling lightly from her fingertips. She glanced over at the clock and sighed, it was getting late, just a little too late. The higher the time on the clock crept it seemed like she thought about relationships and what had been transpiring over the past few days more. 3am and Veronica was still stuck in the car waiting for the money shot on a Tuesday night, scant days after she had spent time laid up in bed or on the couch with Weevil as her only human companion. She didn't want to think about him right now, or the look he got in his eyes every time he looked at her.

Noticing someone coming out of the hotel room she automatically sat up and began taking pictures, leaning slightly out the window. When Veronica thought she had enough shots she wound up her window and began flipping through them, so preoccupied she didn't notice someone approaching her SUV. She choked out a gasp when the man she had been taking photographs of jumped into her passenger seat; his lips pressed in a thin tight line as he reached over and grabbed her around the waist with one burly arm dragging her across the seat and out of the SUV.

"Let go of me," Veronica managed to say, kicking she tried to grab her tazer as she slid across the center console, only succeeding in knocking her bag to the floor; cell phone and tazer falling out in the process. She could feel panic growing in her chest, tightening as if someone had wrapped a rubber band around her heart and lungs, permanently binding them together.

"Why the hell are you taking pictures of me you little bitch?" The man growled as he hauled her towards his car, easily carrying her small form against what she now noticed was a rock hard chest. He opened the trunk, attempting to shove her into it, barely making a strained noise as he lifted her higher in the air, her feet now off the ground.

Veronica remembered, in a flash, the face of her client, covered by dark sunglasses as she pleaded for Veronica's help, the weather outside dark and stormy. Her face had been covered in a thick layer of make up as though she had been attempting to hide something, and in that moment Veronica knew if she didn't fight harder she could find herself in more trouble then she could handle. She began kicking and screaming in earnest, as hard and as loud as she could manage before stopping abruptly, allowing herself to become dead weight.

When the man dropped her Veronica ran as fast as she could towards her vehicle, jumping in she immediately locked the door. Her hands shook as she tried to start the vehicle finally getting it on her third try she peeled off down the street; leaning down she grasped her cell phone with her right hand. Without thinking she dialed the first number she could think of, her thoughts scattered as her heart pounded so fast she could feel it in her throat.

"Hello?" A masculine voice muttered roughly into the phone, hoarse with sleep. "V is that you? It's three in the morning girl, what could you possibly need this early?"

"Weevil shut up, I can't think," Veronica snapped before she could stop herself. Normally, as much as she hated to admit it, the way he sounded would cause a spark of desire to shoot down her spine but right now all she felt was fear. "Some guy is following me," She murmured into the phone, angry at the teas filling her eyes.

Halfway across town Weevil sat up in bed so quickly it was amazing he didn't injure himself. "Okay," He said, suddenly wide awake. "Are you driving?" His voice was calm, not belying the panic he felt, slightly reminding Veronica of a 911 operator. He tugged on a pair of jeans with one hand, managing to even button them. This wasn't the first time he'd had to go help someone in the middle of the night, but typically Veronica was more cautious.

"Y-Yes," Veronica stuttered out, hating herself more every minute for how much weakness she was showing him. Her left hand tightened on the steering wheel, her right gripping the phone as though it was all that could save her right then.

"Okay, I'm going to use my home phone to call the sheriff's office and tell your father what's going on. I need you to just wait and stay calm for a moment; can you do that for me V?" Weevil pulled his cell phone away from his ear slightly; dialing the number he explained the situation to Leo D'Amato in a low voice. "V, are you still there?" He asked, his voice gruff with concern when he put the cell phone back to his ear.

Veronica tucked the phone beneath her chin and sped up a bit as she passed Neptune High. "I'm still here," She murmured into the phone, feeling a strange sense of calm and desperation intermingling all at once. It felt like she was being pulled apart inside.

"Drive to the Sheriff's department," Weevil instructed grabbing his keys he was glad he had borrowed his uncle's car earlier, closing the door on his way out of the apartment. His mind was racing so fast it was almost dizzying, worry nagging at him. "Me and some deputies will be meeting you there V," He informed her. "Tell me about this guy."

"His wife hired me to find out whether he was cheating or not," Veronica responded, on automatic at this point. Her hands slackened on the wheel somewhat as she passed more familiar sights, she was now thankful she had called Weevil despite her confusion as to why he would be the first person she did.

"What went wrong after that? That sounds like a routine stake out to me," Weevil muttered into the phone, the low growl of his voice causing her to shiver.

Veronica couldn't help but smile somewhat, even now, touched by his worry for her. "He jumped in my car and dragged me out of it. Next thing I knew he was trying to shove me into his trunk," She explained, her voice shaking.

Weevil inhaled sharply, his own hand white knuckled on the wheel as he pulled into the parking lot of the Sheriff's office, never more relieved to see Keith Mars and a few deputies waiting for him. He parked quickly and slid out of the car, "I'm waiting for you V, and I'm here for you."

Feeling a wave of warmth and comfort rush through her Veronica couldn't help but smile even as tears pricked her eyes. She knew now why she had called him; Weevil had always been there for her hadn't he? He made her feel cared for, safe like no one else had but not for lack of trying of course. Duncan had been too sweet despite the edge of psychotic anger that seemed to permeate through every gesture. No, Duncan had been too unpredictable and scary to have made her feel safe. And Logan…well…she had never really been able to trust Logan, not even when the two of them had been just friends.

"You still with me Veronica?" Weevil asked, trying to ignore how hard his heart was beating. He was genuinely afraid for his friend…the girl he cared for more than anything else at that moment. He couldn't seem to ever find a label for her; friend just seemed too common a word to describe Veronica.

Veronica gritted her teeth as she took a particularly hard turn, "Almost there," She murmured, wishing she could just close her eyes and wait for it all to be over. She couldn't do that anymore, hadn't been able to do that since her best friend had been killed.

"Gracias dio," Weevil thanked whoever above that she was still safe, and almost with him. "You better make it here in one piece V or I might just suffer from heart failure over here."

"Heart failure? That's not the PCHer way Weevil," Veronica couldn't help but tease him, the familiar bite of words on her tongue more comforting than anything else he could offer her.

Weevil couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face hearing her tone of voice. "I've not been PCH for awhile Mars, I thought you knew," He responded quickly to her words, glad that she was thinking clearly enough to spar verbally with her.

Veronica grinned, "I'll be sure to tell your parole officer that. Eli Weevil Navarro is a gentle law abiding citizen who knits in his spare time."

"Gentle? Baby I thought you liked it rough," Weevil purred into the phone, falling back on old habits.

"I notice you didn't object to knitting," Veronica could feel her face flush at his words. She sped up somewhat when she saw the man turn onto the road behind her. "Tell my dad that the license plate is 5KR8619," She rattled it off, gripping the wheel tighter.

Weevil jogged toward the Sheriff and told him. "Where are you Veronica?" He asked, noticing the worried look in Sheriff's eyes.

"Around the corner," Veronica responded, turning the corner she felt breathless when she saw Weevil standing in the parking lot. He waved at her and moved quickly towards her vehicle as she opened the door. "Weevil," She hugged him.

Wrapping her tightly in his arms Weevil resisted the urge to kiss her, taking the phone from her he hung it up. "I've got you," He ignored the cruisers speeding by, taking care of his girl for the moment.

"Yeah you do," Veronica clutched at the back of his shirt, twisting it in her hands somewhat. "You always do," She said softer, almost as though she was speaking to herself.

Weevil pulled back somewhat, watching the Deputies who were still around, noticing the Sheriff looked a little lost as to where he could be. He gently urged Veronica over to her father, "Sir, you would like I could get Veronica home for you." He offered, polite as ever.

Keith Mars visibly relaxed, running a hand over his head. "If you could stay with her Eli," His voice trailed off as he looked at the young man, understanding dawning on him, understanding that Veronica would definitely not come to harm. Not even emotionally.

Nodding without a word Weevil led Veronica to his Uncle's car, opening the door for her. "Watch your head," was all he could say as his heart finally slowed down. She was okay, right here in front of him and seemingly uninjured.

"I'm okay," Veronica murmured her voice almost dreamy before she closed the door. She seemed to be in a daze now that she was out of danger's way as Weevil walked around the car and got in.

Hurriedly grabbing a blanket Weevil covered her with it just in case she was going into shock. "Are you sure?" He asked, brow furrowed. The last time he'd been this concerned about anyone was when his grandmother had first started getting sick. It was the kind of worry that gnawed at a person until they had to find some kind of outlet.

Veronica looked at him, her eyes glazed as she nodded. "I don't think I should've gone on that stake out tonight," She told him, her voice hollow. "I didn't feel very well in the first place but I just wanted something normal."

Stronger men would've flinched at her last words if they felt the same way Weevil did for her. He didn't because he knew she didn't mean those words in a way which would hurt him. "Something tells me you don't ever have a normal life Veronica, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that," He spoke in a level voice even as every muscle in his body seemed to tighten.

"Do you ever think perhaps there's no such thing as normal in Neptune?" Veronica asked him, licking her dry chapped lips. She seemed to be coming back into herself, her eyes a little bit clearer now. "The rest of the world must just point and laugh at us, because our town is highly rated on a soap opera scale."

"I hope it hasn't taken you this long to figure that out V," Weevil responded lightly. "Neptune isn't Neptune without its seedy underbelly. It wouldn't exist without the 09ers or the PCH or people like you and your father," He explained his views, scratching uncomfortably at his jaw. He still wasn't used to exposing this much of himself, especially to someone who could dissect every last movement and word.

"Indeed, what would Neptune be without Weevils with hearts of gold," Veronica adopted an upper class accent, teasing him.

"Baby you know there's only ever gonna be one Weevil in your life, I'm all you can handle and then some," Weevil glanced over, catching her eyes for a moment. A moment that was just a bit too long for his comfort level to not drop.

Veronica's cheeks flushed and she cursed herself silently for thinking of all the ways she would certainly like to handle Weevil. "Whatever you say," was all she could manage after floundering for words for a few moments. "You keep insisting upon referring to your big ol' hog but I have yet to see or hear evidence of any of those claims being true."

"You want evidence?" Weevil turned his head to leer at her, arching an eyebrow. "I can show you evidence," He smirked wondering if she would back down now.

"Maybe when we get back to my house you can give me a show," Veronica responded, arching her eyebrow in reply back at him, smiling somewhat.

Weevil turned back to the road abruptly, a muscle tightening in his jaw as he tried to ignore the fire rushing through his veins.

Veronica settled into her seat, her mind racing. Every time she had been in trouble lately it seemed Weevil was the one who ended up taking her home at the end of the day. "Thank you," She smiled when she realized she'd startled him out of his thoughts. It was new, seeing him in this light, as a thinker.

"For what? I haven't done a thing," Weevil answered easily, his grip on the wheel lessening somewhat.

Veronica smiled at him. "You always try to do that. Why do you always do that?" She asked, shaking her head in bemusement. "You downplay the role you have in everyone's life like it's nothing."

Weevil visibly tensed once again, wanting this particular topic to be left alone. "I don't," He wouldn't fool himself into thinking he was anything other than expendable. He was just another person she would forget about in the end.

Veronica waited until he had stopped the car before she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him, "Look at me Weevil, and for once just tell me the truth, no dancing or verbal barbs, just the truth for once," She insisted, her words filled with conviction.

"I don't know what you wanna hear from me V because I don't think you're ready for the truth right now," Weevil insisted before getting out of the car. He walked around it without a thought and opened the door, offering her a hand. "Do you need some help?" He asked.

Glaring Veronica shook her head and got out, brushing past him she realized the palms of her hands were stinging and was surprised to see she had scraped them. The adrenaline seemed to finally be wearing off after her dangerous encounter and her movements were sluggish, her senses the same, so much so she barely noticed Weevil coming up behind her.

"Let's go get those cleaned up," Weevil told her gruffly as he closed her door and locked it, taking her by the elbow he led her up the stairs to her apartment.

Veronica muttered angrily to herself as she unlocked the apartment door, her anger diminishing somewhat when Backup bounded towards her. She knelt down and hugged him, allowing him to lick her cheek. "I'm okay boy," She told him before standing up, the scrapes on her hands still stinging, sharper now.

Weevil was wordless as he watched her with the dog, noticing she seemed to take comfort in the canine. "I'll get your first aid kit," He told her, a voice roughened with emotion before he went to look in the bathroom for it.

Sitting down on the couch Veronica smiled weakly when Backup hopped up beside her, resting his head on her leg. "Dunno what to do anymore boy," She muttered to the dog, stroking behind his ears.

Searching the medicine cabinet Weevil thought to himself how odd it was to be here again in such a short time when all he'd ever wanted was just that. And now Keith Mars, SHERIFF Keith Mars trusted him, apparently. Did he want to blow that? He ran a hand over his bald head and grabbed the first aid kit, checking it had everything he needed.

"Did you fall in?" Veronica asked when he came into the living room, secretly glad he had given her time to gather her thoughts.

Weevil motioned for her to hold out her hands and wiped antiseptic across the wounds before blowing on them. "Okay?" He asked.

Veronica nodded, speech eluding her for the time being. She hated when this happened and it only seemed to happen around him. Usually she could manage to pass it off in a comedic way but doubted that would work this time.

She was so close right now. That was all Weevil could think about as he bandaged her hands, muscles tightened as though he was ready to find the guy and kill him himself. "All better," He told her when he was done, packing up the kit and standing up. "Why don't you go change into something more comfortable?" He asked, trying to distract them both with words.

"No matter how many times you ask for it Weevs I will not put on my nice silky negligee for you," Veronica responded smartly, putting her foot into her mouth before she could even try to stop it.

Weevil swallowed, something smoldering inside him as she said those words. "Veronica," His voice was low…a warning concealed within his words.

Veronica got up, smiling almost skittishly as she skirted around his large form and down the hall. "Going to change," She said quickly.

Watching her go Weevil stifled a groan, rubbing his hands together. The thought of her in some satin negligee was definitely arousing, and a thought that was haunt his every waking minute and most likely some of his dreams.


	4. Honesty

Author's Note: Again I apologize for this having taken me so long. I've gotten lots of good reviews on this fic and I thank you for that. I looked at the stats for it the other day and realized I had to get my ass in gear because eleven people have added me to their alerts. I am so sorry if you've been waiting, hopefully my muses will be nice and the next chapter won't take so long.

In no particular order thank you to: Free2Style1026, HeavenlySoul07, Lizzie8, MF72, SKYE-07, Shinna, chanela, dorie087, firstmorningdew, latinpotterfan, punkgrrrl, PinkDough, Katie76842, Lorelai Candice Black, motylik and anyone who hasn't read SapphireRose10's fics go do so now. She's one of my best friends and writes in the VMars fandom.

Reviews are nice, just something to keep in mind.

* * *

Veronica walked out of the bedroom and Weevil found himself stifling a groan, she wasn't wearing a silk negligee but what she was wearing was made of silk, and it certainly looked pretty damn sexy on her. She was wearing a light rose tank top and a pair of sleep shorts made of the same material, he'd seen it in windows at stores not thinking anything of it but on Veronica it looked almost edible. "I figure you can sleep on the extra mattress in my room if you wouldn't mind, usually it's reserved for Backup but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind sharing," The angel in front of him spoke. 

Weevil managed to pull his focus back in and maintain a wire tight control as he looked up at her face, "Okay," His voice was rough. "Do you feel better now?" He asked, his concern overriding his desire to throw her on the nearest surface and…Simply put, if she hadn't called him crying earlier that evening the two of them would've been doing much more than just talking.

"Yeah I do," Veronica responded, crossing her arms over her chest. "How about you?" She cocked her hip, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "Are you ready to actually be honest with me for once?"

Sighing in frustration Weevil stood up, and even though he wasn't much taller than her his larger form dwarfed hers in size. Sometimes he forgot how small she was, how scared he was of accidentally hurting her at some point. "You must know Veronica, you're not stupid. Hell you're the smartest person I know, one of the best people I know." He responded, "You know I…I mean…"

Veronica tilted her head to the side and smiled at him, something inside of her trembling almost violently at the look in his eyes. It wasn't the same look that Duncan had when he looked at her, like she was everything he was supposed to have. Logan always looked at her like she represented everything he'd lost when Lily died, when his dad had killed her. Piz just…Piz wanted the woman of his dreams and had been disappoint when she'd been broken. Weevil wasn't like that; he'd never been like that. Despite having been in a gang, having been the leader of a gang he was still so confident in himself and had never given up on his life or the people in it. "Tell me," She ordered, taking one of his hands in hers she massaged the back of it with her thumb.

"I love you V," Weevil's voice was barely there, his deep brown eyes showing her the truth. She didn't know how long he'd loved her, but she could see how much he did. It was in every action, every look and every word. "You have to know that though."

"I didn't want to know it before, but maybe I've been missing what's right in front of me all along, I can be pretty far sighted at times," Veronica smiled impishly and raised herself up slightly on her toes so she could bestow a kiss on his cheek, just brushing them against his skin. "We should get some sleep now though."

Weevil nodded wordlessly following her into the bedroom he helped her prepare his bed on the floor and tugged his jeans off, crawling under the sheets in his boxer briefs and wife beater. "We'll talk about this more tomorrow right V?" He asked, worried that she would just try to run again, or deny that this had ever happened.

Veronica inhaled sharply in the darkness, a small smile on her face. He still wanted to go somewhere with this, "Yeah definitely. I'm just too tired right now," She slipped into the bed, seeking out his form in the shadows. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you had a really hard night. I won't push you," Weevil murmured, feeling like he should be whispering, as though he would get caught in her room even though it was likely the sheriff wouldn't be home that night.

Sighing softly Veronica moved to the mattress on the floor, sliding under the sheets next to him she dragged her comforter with her, covering both of them. "Is this okay? I don't want to sleep alone."

Weevil wrapped an arm around her; pulling her into his chest he kissed the top of his head. "Don't worry about it, now go to sleep." He tightened his arm around her waist, ignoring the shock of heat that rushed through him as he felt the heat of her skin on his fingertips. This was going to be a long night trying to sleep, especially since he was scared when he woke up that she wouldn't be here in his arms.

* * *

Opening her eyes slowly Veronica groaned, stretching out on the mattress she made a sound of surprise when she realized she wasn't entirely on the mattress but that most of her body was in fact resting on top of one ex-leader of a biker gang, Eli "Weevil" Navarro. She'd spent the entire night in his arms, and it was the best sleep she'd had in a long time. Curling back up against his warm body she kissed his cheek softly, studying him. He looked so nice when he was sleeping, without frown lines marring his face, and no stress showing. If she didn't know him any better she would think that he was almost angelic. 

"I can feel you watching me Veronica," Weevil's voice rumbled through his chest before he opened his eyes slowly, looking at her almost lazily. "How'd you sleep?"

Veronica smiled up at him, kissing his cheek again. "It was the best I've slept in a long time," She replied, running her hand up and down his arm slowly. "We should get up though; I'll lend you a tooth brush, and some tooth paste, and then we can go out for breakfast or stay in for breakfast and talk."

Weevil smiled; looking into her eyes he tilted her head up and kissed her cheek softly, "You're not running very far." He observed an almost teasing lilt to his voice as he spoke to her. Inside all he could feel was relief, she wasn't running from him. She wasn't jumping out of the bed…off the mattress and ordering him to leave. It was an improvement.

"Maybe I don't feel the need to run from you," Veronica murmured, before pulling herself slowly from his arms. "I'm going to go wash my face and brush my teeth; I'll meet you in the kitchen when you've done the same." She got up and padded into the bathroom.

Flopping back onto the mattress Weevil sighed happily, "Abuelita maybe I might have a chance for happiness," He murmured softly to the ceiling, closing his eyes. If only he could keep her from reacting in her normal manner in relationships, her fight or fly mentality, mostly ending in fly. The last thing he wanted was to say goodbye to her. When he heard the washroom door open he got up slowly and made his way in, smiling softly again when he saw she had left him a black tooth brush on the counter. Finishing up quickly he made his way into the kitchen where Veronica was already sitting, in her bathrobe nursing a cup of coffee.

"Do you want to go out to grab breakfast? I'm not so good at cooking, or even being in a kitchen, I can bake though," Veronica admitted sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.

Weevil moved toward her almost as though there was some sort of gravitational force surrounding her, he'd often wondered such things as everyone seemed to move toward her despite whether they liked her or not. It had been the same pull Lilly had on people, only with less damage to their reputation or mental state. "Do you have any bacon or eggs?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

Veronica nodded, tilting her head back so she could look up into his face and study him, trying to figure out what he was all about.

"I'll make you breakfast," Weevil opened the fridge, pulling out the meat and the eggs. "Can you handle making toast or is that too hard for you to handle?" He asked her, arching an eyebrow in her direction.

Puffing out her chest in mock arrogance Veronica smirked back at him, "Vato you've never had toast until you've had my toast. And by the way I like my eggs sunny side up. Do you think you could handle that?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Weevil's eyes slid down to her now plunging neckline and his cheeks heated up, "Oh I can definitely handle that," His voice was smooth as he winked slyly in her direction, happy in succeeding at making her blush.

Veronica pulled her robe closed and glared at him even as she slid off the stool and made her way to the toaster and the bread box, choosing not to speak as the two of them worked side by side making breakfast. When it was all finished she helped him dish it onto plates and made her way to the table, surprised when he pulled her chair out for her. "Thanks," She hoped her emotions didn't show in her voice, didn't want him to think she thought so little of him.

"Don't have to live in the 90909 Zip code to be raised with manners V," Weevil shot a smile in her direction, letting her know there were no hard feeling between them. "Eat or talk first?"

Meeting his eyes Veronica could see every feeling, how much he wanted her right now, wanted to kiss her, touch her and looked back down at her plate, something inside of her trembling, her leg jiggling as she became nervous. "Eat first," She told him softly, cutting into her bacon she ate it, surprised at a different flavour then normal.

"Spices V, the variety of life, they can make anything good," Weevil noticed the surprise on her face and couldn't help but smile to himself. He could count on one hand how many times he'd surprised Veronica Mars. He'd always considered it an accomplishment; it meant he kept her on her toes. He went about eating his own breakfast, surprised at how hungry he was, but it had been a busy and worrisome night the night before. Once he was done he stood up and walked to the sink, rinsing his plate and putting it down in the basin.

Veronica did the same, putting her plate alongside his she turned to him, "Weevil I…" She made a surprised noise when he pulled her close and kissed her on the lips, her hand coming up to clutch at his bicep, unsure of where to move her hands she moved into his body instead.

Weevil couldn't resist anymore, deepening the kiss he slipped his tongue in between her lips, curling it around hers the heat consumed him until he was almost entirely sure that she could feel it too. This was just like a dream, and if it was he never wanted to wake up again, he flicked his tongue along hers, wrapping his arms tightly around her when she seemed to melt into him.

Her hands twisting in the back of his wife beater when her arms slipped around her, Veronica couldn't help but melt into him, her legs no longer functioning. She'd never felt this before, it was consumption, danger and warmth all rolled into one. When his tongue hit hers she let out a guttural moan pretty sure that she wouldn't live through this moment, because no single person could feel this good from a kiss without just dying afterward. It was too much and over too soon, he was pulling away even as she sought his lips again. "No," She moaned pitifully, embarrassed to hear such a noise coming from her mouth.

Laughing hoarsely Weevil reeled her in close again but didn't kiss her instead settled for holding her close this time. "I'm not a one night kind of guy Veronica, not when it comes to you. I don't know how anyone could be a one night stand with you, I haven't even had you and I know one night could never be enough."

Veronica flushed, resting her head on his shoulder her fingers twisted around the fabric in them, pulling at it, molding it out of its original shape. "I've never had a one night stand, and something tells me I would need more than one night with you." She breathed in deeply, inhaling his scent. It was some obscure cologne she'd never heard of, or possibly his deodorant, and something so manly. "I don't know how to go about this though," She admitted, fearful.

"Slowly," Weevil responded easily, rubbing her back. "We'll start out with a date, and then move on from there."

Pulling back Veronica looked into his eyes, "But dating means we can see other people…I don't really…" She averted her eyes wondering what it was about him that could make her feel so vulnerable, so bare.

Weevil looked surprised, "You want a relationship with me?" He asked, his voice somewhat choked. He'd seen her leap into relationships with other guys and could only ever hope that she would ever be interested in that with him. Would she finally be his after all these years of watching her with everyone else?

"Yeah I do, if you don't mind," Veronica responded boldly, her nerves returning to her in a fierce way.

Laughing Weevil kissed her softly on the lips, "Oh baby I don't mind at all," He murmured softly, spinning her around.


	5. First Dates

Author's note: Thank you to everyone whose read this and enjoyed it thus far. I don't know how much more there is to write, as their story in this saga at least is almost over. That of course, does not mean I won't continue it in another way. Now without further ado, enjoy.

Weevil could count on one hand the number of times he'd been so nervous that his knees shook, and this was one of those times. He'd been to Veronica's house plenty of times, but this would be his first time picking her up for a date. He was wearing his best pair of jeans, which just meant that they weren't oil stained and torn at the knees, he also wore a black button up shirt and his usual leather coat his one hand shoved deep in the pocket while his other clutched a bouquet of orchids. He still couldn't figure out if Veronica would laugh when he gave them to her or not. Finally taking a deep breath he raised his hand to knock on the door, surprised when it swung open.

Keith Mars couldn't help but smile, Eli Navarro had certainly come a long way from the thug he'd been at age thirteen. Sure he was still one of the first people called in if there was a gang related crime but almost ninety percent of the time he had nothing to do with it. As for the ten percent, well no one was perfect. "How are you doing Eli?" He asked warmly, feeling nothing but affection towards the young man.

"I'm doing alright sir," Eli stepped inside the door, closing it behind him he fidgeted slightly, feeling like it was a little too much. "How are you?  
He finally managed to ask, running a hand over the top of his head. "Everything went okay with that guy who chased V?" He wanted to rip that man limb from limb and as he thought about what could have happened to Veronica his hands clenched into fists.

"We caught him, which makes me feel…completely and utterly…happy, even though my first instinct as a father was to beat him within an inch of his life," Keith responded, smiling just the slightest bit as he saw understanding flare in Eli's eyes. "I was quite surprised to come home and find that Veronica has a date with you tonight though."

Eli took a deep breath and held both hands up, "Look sir, I know how you feel about me, and I know what you think about me. You made that perfectly clear when V and I were in high school, and I know I let you down when I was supposed to be helping you out. If this is going to step on any toes…" He was shocked when Keith Mars cut him off mid sentence.

"Eli, if I had a problem with you dating my daughter I wouldn't even have opened the door," Keith clapped him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't have mentioned anything to you the other night if I didn't think in some way that you and Veronica belonged together. Of course, if you do something stupid, or hurt her in any way," He left the threat hanging, the look in his eyes speaking for itself.

"I wouldn't. Veronica makes me want to be something more, she makes me wanna go somewhere other than where I've been in the past," Eli told him confidently, feeling much more at ease now that they were having this conversation.

Veronica walked into the living room, and seeing her father and Weevil exchanging looks stopped, watching the two of them, feeling heat rise in her when she got a good look at her date. How had she never realized how hot he was, the pull between them suddenly felt so damn strong that all she wanted to do was drag him out of the house and have her way with him. But no, they were going slowly, carefully because he didn't want her to get hurt, or run scared. It was sweet, nice to have someone who was so considerate. Logan had tried, but in the end it had always been about him.

"Now are you two playing nice?" She asked, stepping forward. When she saw the look on Weevil's face she knew she'd definitely picked the right outfit, a pair of knee high leather boots, a black almost school girl looking shirt, a silk and lace camisole with a fitted black leather jacket over the top.

Eli swallowed heavily; walking over to her he kissed her on the cheek. "Of course we are," He murmured, hating the telling in the hoarseness of his voice as he spoke. She just looked so damn good, good enough to eat. He didn't need these thoughts in his head right now, not with her father standing mere feet away. "Are you ready to go?" He extended his arm to her as he'd seen men do in the movies, hoping that she wouldn't mind. She was a different kind of girl than he was used to, more independent, more confident and just plain more.

Veronica looked at him, almost in surprise before she took his arm, "Most definitely." She responded softly, squeezing his arm slightly. "Everything okay between you two?" She questioned, locking eyes with her father she was surprised to see he looked happy. She knew he and Eli had a better understanding of each other but hadn't realized it had progressed to outright acceptance.

Keith nodded his head and kissed the top of Veronica's head, "Everything's fine. You two go out and have fun and I'll sit here and watch the Humphrey Bogart marathon with Backup."

Seeming reluctant Veronica nodded, smiling somewhat, "I know how much Backup loves his Bogart. He's a real fan of film noire. I'll see you later then dad," She turned to Weevil, arching an eyebrow. "Lead on."

Weevil stifled a smile as he led her out of the house, closing the door behind him he immediately relaxed, feeling much better when he was out of the range of her father's eyes. "Are you nervous Veronica?" He asked, deliberately using her name.

"No not at all," Veronica lied, but inside she was terrified, she didn't want to…she did want to go out with him, and maybe that's what scared her, the way he made her feel. "Maybe a little," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders.

"You don't need to be nervous around me, I'm still the same Weevil I've always been," He told her; tucking a finger under her chin he kissed her softly on the lips, the touch barely there. "Except now I get to do that, and it's nice." He smirked; licking his own lips he could taste her strawberry flavoured lip gloss.

"I'm sure it is," Veronica was embarrassed at how breathy her voice sounded when she replied to him. She wasn't that kind of girl.

Weevil held her hand, leading her down the steps to his once again borrowed car he gestured for her to get in after opening the door for her. "You'll have fun tonight, I promise." He told her sincerely before closing the door and getting in.

Veronica looked around when they arrived at their destination, having been curious for awhile as they'd driven all the way to San Diego but she hadn't questioned despite wanting to, because the need to have him believe she trusted him was even more. "A drive in theatre? I didn't know these still existed, I've never been."

"I know, I mentioned it to your dad when I ran into him the other day. He was real confused about why I was asking, but it gave me this idea," Weevil pulled into a spot close to the screen after paying for their tickets and hooked the wire up to his antenna. "Would you like to go get something to eat?" He asked.

"What is there?" Veronica asked, already getting out of the car she was shocked when he again offered her arm. Weevil had never really seemed like the chivalrous type…although he had helped her out of many tough spots which she supposed would make him chivalrous.

Weevil shut the door behind her and led her to the snack bar, "Almost anything you can imagine. They have the best egg rolls here." He informed her, resisting the urge to pull her close and kiss her.

Veronica looked at him incredulously, "Egg rolls?" She arched an eyebrow, the tone of voice suggesting that she didn't believe him for a second.

"Yes egg rolls, and French fries, pizza, popcorn, candy." Weevil responded, opening the door of the snack bar for her he rested his hand on her lower back, able to feel the heat of her skin against the palm of his hand and all of a sudden he wasn't sure how he was going to survive the night.

Smiling Veronica looked up at him, into his eyes. "Some of my favourite foods. Thank you for this Weevil," She squeezed his arm lightly, getting into line with him she piled up on food. "What movie are we here to see anyway?" She questioned, curiously.

"You'll see," Weevil pulled out some money and paid for their food, carrying the tray back to the car he noticed that it was almost dark enough to start the movie. "Do you want to sit in the car or in front of it in lawn chairs?" He asked her, already reaching for the blanket in the backseat.

"In the car I think," Veronica decided, putting the tray on the dashboard she was glad it was reasonably flat and picked up her egg roll, taking a big bite she chewed then swallowed, well aware of Weevil's eyes on her during every movement. "This is really good, thank you for bringing me here."

"It's not problem at all, I wanted to do something original," Weevil responded, taking a pull from his straw he picked up his own food and began eating as the previews began playing on the screen. Soon after the beginning of the movie began playing, a young girl reciting a poem from a book dressed in a long white dress.

Veronica gasped softly, recognizing the movie immediately, "Weevil is this Labyrinth?" She asked, reaching over to grip his arm in excitement, it had been one of her favourite movies when she was younger, he couldn't know that though could he?

Weevil nodded his head, "I remember when we were kids, your dad mentioning that you watched the movie over and over again. When I found out they were showing it here I figured that it would be the perfect idea for a first date," He could feel his cheeks flush as she looked at him in amazement.

Moving the food and blanket out of the way Veronica slid over to the middle of the seat, tucking herself into Weevil's side she rested her head on his chest once he lifted his arm and kissed his cheek. "This is perfect, thank you Eli."

"Anytime," Weevil responded, a genuine smile crossing his face as he did so. They watched the movie in relative silence, and he couldn't help but be amused when she hid during certain parts, especially when the fiery's began throwing each other's heads around and went after Sarah's. When the movie ended and intermission began Weevil turned to her, "Do you need to go to the bathroom because now would be a good time to do so?"

Veronica shook her head and shifted so that she could crawl into his lap, "No."

"V, what do you think you're doing right now?" Weevil asked his voice hoarse. He couldn't believe she was here like this, curling into him, sitting on his lap. It was his dream come true.

"Thanking you," Veronica kissed him on the lips almost feverishly; nipping at his bottom lip she ghosted her tongue across it, soothing the slight sting. She could feel the strength in his arms as he wrapped them around him, yet he was so gentle with her, his left hand splayed across her lower back, covering it.

Weevil let out a soft groan and returned the kiss, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Her body felt so solid yet tiny against his, as though he could break her with the slightest bit of force, her skin was warm against his hand and he could feel himself begin to harden in his jeans, hoping she wouldn't feel it and get scared.

Veronica felt him, grinding her hips down she mewled against his lips. It felt so good, so completely encompassing. It was heady and irresistible, even the slightest touch from Weevil intoxicating her, making her want more.

Pulling back Weevil breathed heavily, "Veronica we're taking this slow," He reminded her, his voice somewhat forceful.

Dropping her head onto his shoulder Veronica pressed her face into his neck and nodded, "You're right," She slipped out of his lap and seeing people heading back to their cars realized that intermission must be ending soon. "What's the next movie?" She asked when she was settled against his side again.

"The Outsiders," Weevil's lips quirked up into an amused smile, remembering when they'd had their encounter on the beach for what had been supposed to be the tape exchange.

Veronica tilted her head back and laughed, deeply amused. "Which greaser would you be Weevil? Sodapop?" She poked him in the side gently, finding his choice of movies fantastic.

"Nah, I figure I'd be like Dallas Winston," Weevil responded, having thought about it a lot when he was younger.

Smile fading Veronica shook her head, moving closer to him. "You wouldn't end up like that, even if you'd stayed in the PCH you wouldn't have ended up like that. You're gonna go somewhere Weevil, just like Ponyboy was going places."

"Are you telling me to stay gold Veronica?" Weevil questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Veronica smiled at him and leaning up kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm telling you that I'm going to be your gold, that I'll be the one to keep you from going down in a blaze of glory. You don't need to be a greaser anymore Weevil, you've got me."

"Do I get to keep you?" Weevil asked returning the kiss.

Nodding Veronica ran one finger along the lines of his cheekbone, "Yeah, I think you should. I mean I need someone to keep me out of trouble."

Weevil nodded, "That sounds like a full time job. Do I get danger pay?"

"No but you'll be rewarded in the best manner I can think of," Veronica replied smartly.

"I like the sound of that."


End file.
